Conventional infant support structures provide support for a child or infant. Some examples of such child or infant support structures include, but are not limited to, bouncers, swings, infant seats and high chairs. Some such support structures include a seating area and restraint straps configured for retaining an infant in the seating area, such as during feeding and other seated activities.
Feeding an infant or young child is often a very messy process. Both the child and child accessible portions of the support structure often become covered with food and liquid. In particular, most highchairs include a restraint system. A conventional restraint system generally includes restraint straps and some sort of fastening mechanism for fastening the restraint straps to together. In addition, the conventional restraint system typically includes an adjustment mechanism for tightening and loosening the straps. In conventional restraint systems, the straps, fastening mechanism and adjustment mechanism are in close proximity to and accessible by the child seated in the highchair. Such proximity to the child often makes them a primary target for dropped food, spilled liquids and/or and the child's messy hands. As a result, the restraint system is almost always soiled when the highchair is in use.
The connection between the straps and the fastening and adjustment mechanisms in conventional systems generally has many nooks, gaps, and crevices that give food and other messy substances a place to lodge. As a result, they are relatively difficult to clean. Indeed, the food and liquid are sometimes permanently absorbed into the fibers or material from which the restraint straps are formed, or packed into the fastening and/or adjustment mechanisms. Thus, the cleanliness and/or functional performance of the restraint system may be adversely affected. Moreover, because the adjustment mechanisms of conventional restraint systems are within reach of the seating area, they could possibly be subject to being undesirably handled by the seated child or infant.
Accordingly, there is a need for an infant support structure having a restraint assembly that is easily adjustable, and/or that is not accessible to a seated child or infant, and/or that eliminates or minimizes the absorption of food, liquid and other debris, and/or that is easily cleaned.